Turn Your Internship into a Full-Time Job

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Offline Omar Faruk Mazumder

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Turn Your Internship into a Full-Time Job
« on: June 13, 2013, 10:51:49 AM »
Turn Your Internship into a Full-Time Job


1. Tell Them You Want to Be a Full-Time Hire: This is a rookie mistake I made in a previous internship I held one summer during college. Rather than being upfront about my intentions and goals, I kept my head down, powered through and hoped they’d recognize and reward me for my contribution by offering a full-time position after I graduated.

Most employers see a lot of interns come and go – and many employers aren’t interested in hiring full-time. They’re just looking for short-term interns for temp work. During my interview for the CareerBliss internship, I told them right away that I’d love to be considered as a full-time employee, and they were open to the possibility.

2. Dress & Act Like a Full-Timer: Show them you’re a team player and you’re here to stay. Use words like “we” and “us.” Do as the Romans do!

If you’re the only one dressed up while everyone else is in shorts and flip flops…they’ll suspect that you’re just an interim intern who doesn’t really fit into the company culture. At my company, I participated in all the parties, activities and celebratory lunches, which helped them see I was a good fit.

3. Never say “I’m just an Intern”: Don’t even think it. You’re an employee (for the interim) and the last thing your boss and coworkers want to hear is that you’re not interested in going all in for the team. A few weeks into my internship, I was waiting in line for coffee and a senior employee from another department asked me if I was a new software engineer. I felt nervous and said “oh … no — I’m just an intern.”

He smiled: You’re not just an intern!

If I had said that to my own boss, he might have gotten the wrong idea about my ambition. It’s okay if you aren’t contributing a whole lot to the team right away – it doesn’t make you insignificant. After all, everyone was a novice at one point.

4. Step Up & Speak Up: Chances are, your boss isn’t going to bombard you with a million hours of work. You will have some down time. Seize it!

Start your own passion project to show your engagement and enthusiasm with the business. For instance, have they started a Pinterest account yet? Because they probably should, considering it’s a huge conversion generator in social media. Or, maybe they could use a re-organization of their documents that are cluttering up the system. Find a problem you can solve, and propose how you’ll solve it! You’ve got fresh ideas.

5. Record All Your Accomplishments: At the beginning of your internship, you should start a running Excel spreadsheet and keep track of your major achievements, contributions and successes. This came in handy when I set up my evaluation meeting toward the end of the internship.

If you do this, you’ll be able to point to the hard facts about how you’ve proven your worth as part of the team in your brief time. Periodically, look back at this list and if you’re not happy with what you have, refer to No.4!

Ultimately, if there’s one thing to take away from my experience, it is that it’s OK if you don’t know what you’re doing at the beginning of your internship (most people don’t!) as long as you’re proactive in figuring it out.

Good luck, interns!
Omar Faruk
Sr. Admin Officer (VC Office)

"Rabbi Zidni Ilma"
May Allah help to increase us with knowledge that benefits. Ameen.

Offline M H Parvez

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Re: Turn Your Internship into a Full-Time Job
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2013, 10:12:54 AM »
There are some another important way to turn internship into a full-time job

1. Interview them

Remember that you’re testing the water with this company just as much as they are testing you. Take advantage of the internship to see if you can spot bad company culture before you get excited about working full-time. On the other hand, if you find that you love the working environment, you’ll have all the more motivation to do your absolute best.
 
2. Be a sponge; remain positive

Your boss and co-workers realize you’re an intern, and you’re not expected to know how to do everything that’s assigned to you. Take advantage of this short period in your life when it’s okay to ask questions about the basics. Absorb all of your surroundings. If you make a mistake, don’t let it get you down. Stay positive, and remember that employers may judge you by how you react to the mistake… rather than the mistake itself.
 
3. Schedule a face-to-face

As you near the end of the internship period, schedule a meeting with your employer to talk about your performance and possibilities of continuing your employment at the company. Bring your list of accomplishments, and show them exactly how you’ve proven yourself valuable.
 
4. Keep your connections

If you haven’t already, no matter what the outcome of your internship, make sure you keep in touch with all of the connections you’ve made at this internship. Add everyone you’ve worked with and met on LinkedIn, and make sure to send them a quick hello from time-to-time to keep the contact fresh.
 
5. Don’t rush any decisions

If you receive a full-time offer, remember you are not obligated to take the offer… or at least the first offer. If the company is not a good fit, be appreciative of the offer, but realize you can take your new found experience to a culture that better fits you… or perhaps hold out for the next offer.
Be sure to research your market value by comparing salaries at various companies to similar job titles with your level of experience. Be honest and sincere about this – because if you counter-offer with a number above what you know you’re worth, you could lose the offer altogether.
Keep these tips in mind – and your next career transition just may be from intern to full-time employee.
M M Hasan Parvez
Officer, Dept. of GED
Research Scholar (PhD), KIIT University
Daffodil Tower
Daffodil International University
​Cell: +88 01847 140011, Ext: 347

Offline Omar Faruk Mazumder

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Re: Turn Your Internship into a Full-Time Job
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2013, 12:59:44 PM »
Mr. Parvez.... Great initiatives from you.. you have helped it to get a better shape.

In short, becoming a full-time employee means becoming an asset first. But keep in mind that just because you’re a intern, it doesn’t always mean your company has the resources or budget to take you on when your internship ends. Don’t fret: In this situation, many companies will be happy to direct you to another company or act a reference during your hiring process. And you never know, you could get a call from this company in the future offering you a great position when it arises.
Omar Faruk
Sr. Admin Officer (VC Office)

"Rabbi Zidni Ilma"
May Allah help to increase us with knowledge that benefits. Ameen.